The price of the PlayStation 5 system has been increased in Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia due to a challenging economic environment.
With a rather unusual and somewhat suspect very early Monday announcement for the affected territories, SIE has confirmed that the price of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition has been increased to €499.99 in Europe, £429.99 in the United Kingdom, AUD $829.95 in Australia and NZD $949.95 in New Zealand as of today, April 14th. The price of the console's regular edition is unaffected, as is the price of the PlayStation 5 Pro. The price increase, according to Vice President of Global Marketing Isabelle Tomatis, has been caused by a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates, although, given the timing, the tariff situation between the United States and China is likely one of the factors that made SIE increase the console's price.
The PlayStation 5 Disc Drive is also getting its price revised, although downwards. Starting today, April 14th, the Drive will be priced at €79.99 in Europe, £69.99 in the UK, AUD $124.95 in Australia, and NZD $139.95.
Price hikes are nothing new for the PlayStation 5, as the system's price was already increased in 2022 in Europe, the UK, and Australia, among other territories, before being increased again last August in Japan by around $90. With the current economic situation likely to continue being challenging for a good while, it's possible that the system may see a price increase in other markets as well.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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